Chapter 185 - 9
As the night grew deeper, an emergency meeting was held. In a corner of the not-so-spacious conference room, Franz and Anna stood behind Edward, who had been given a seat. They didn't know what was about to begin, but one look at the assembled faces made the purpose of the meeting clear. The majority were military personnel, and a third belonged to the Commercial Guild—in other words, merchants.
“I wonder what’s going to happen,” Anna muttered beside him.
“I don’t know.”
Saying so honestly, Franz once again surveyed the people. Upon closer inspection, there seemed to be two types of military personnel. The sun-tanned, well-built soldiers occupying a third of the round table were the Tarnien Army Suien Unit, led by Touo. On the opposite side sat people who looked more like civil officials from Yuresla than soldiers. However, they too wore the uniform of the Tarnien Army. These seemed to be the “guys from the capital” Touo had mentioned.
And the remaining third were the merchants of this city. Since this meeting was about pearls, they were likely merchants involved in that trade.
Once all the seats were filled, the meeting began. It was primarily the “guys from the capital” who led the discussion. They identified themselves by their official name: the Tarnien Army Coastal Defense Administration. As Edward had whispered to him, they were a department that dealt with issues related to smuggling, illegal immigration, and other trade matters, and their position within the military was quite different from Touo’s unit. In Yuresla Kingdom terms, they were like a military police force focused on maritime trade.
But their image was vastly different from the military police. No matter how you looked at it, they still seemed like civil officials. These men, who had come on a special mission, declared that the stoppage of the annual pearl trade, which was supposed to be at its peak, was beginning to have an impact.
“Pearls are a vital trade resource for our country, and there is no doubt that trade for various goods such as food from Yuresla, industrial products from Fornu, and spices from Sarnia has stagnated. It is no exaggeration to say that our country is facing a crisis due to the lack of pearls.”
The administration official looked around at everyone. But for some reason, when he looked at Edward, he averted his eyes guiltily. It seemed this man, who was doing most of the talking, was the one who had tried to take Edward and Ritz into custody.
“Our country has recognized the free autonomy of the Soukai Clan by trading pearls with them. Now that contract is about to be broken. This is truly a matter of national importance.”
At the man's speech-like, lofty declaration, Anna muttered to herself.
“That’s strange. I heard the law for special autonomous regions is the same all over the continent.”
Because it was so quiet, her voice was heard clearly. The man who had been giving the speech responded with a hint of anger.
“As a foreigner, I must ask you not to interfere.”
“But…”
Edward gently stopped Anna as she was about to protest and slowly stood up.
“My apologies, even though we promised not to interfere. Our Yuresla deals with the Ciedena Special Autonomous Region with courtesy and discipline, so it must have seemed strange to this child. Recognizing a special autonomous region based on a monetary contract is something unheard of in our country.”
“Kh…”
“Our country is our country, other countries are other countries. There are bound to be differences.”
The man bit his lip. The Special Autonomous Region Law was common to all countries on the continent. He seethed with frustration at having this pointed out so nonchalantly. But Edward sat down with a cool expression.
“Now, please continue your story.”
In contrast to the man whose face was filled with anger, Touo looked at his subordinates with an expression that said he couldn't hold back his laughter. His subordinates also seemed to be suppressing their laughter.
“Your Majesty…”
As Franz called out to Edward, worried that he would be thrown out, Edward calmly declared, knowing full well the administration official could hear.
“I merely spoke of a case in our country. What is there to worry about? Have pride in your own country and hold your head high.”
“...Yes, sir.”
There was no way the likes of Franz could stand up to Edward. After clicking his tongue in annoyance, the administration official continued.
“Therefore, for the sake of our national interest, we have reluctantly accommodated the Soukai Clan living in this city at the military port. Although we have accepted them as a free nation, if the contract is not fulfilled, there is no need to uphold our guarantee.”
Those hypocritical words seemed to be accepted with conviction by the members of the Commercial Guild, but they were not enough to convince the Suien Naval Unit.
“You line up pretty words like ‘for our national interest’ and ‘for the sake of the contract,’ Administrator, but this is nothing but blackmail diplomacy.”
It was Touo who stood up. He glared at the administrator with sharp eyes filled with anger.
“As a soldier, such a despicable act as blackmail diplomacy is the most abhorrent of things. As a fellow soldier, surely you understand that much.”
But unlike with Edward, it seemed easier to argue with Touo, who was a fellow soldier. He stared back at Touo with a sarcastic look.
“This is not blackmail diplomacy.”
“Then tell me what you call this act of capturing the vulnerable Soukai Clan in this city, holding them hostage, and trying to extort profit!”
“We of Tarnien must not yield to the pressure of the Soukai Clan, who have resorted to the measure of prohibiting trade to protect their own fair interests.”
“Pressure? They closed off trade for their own safety, you know? And you intend to force that door open in exchange for the lives of hostages?!”
“Of course. That is our contract.”
That greed, the attempt to devour another’s profit as if it were a matter of course, was what Franz despised most of all. But as Franz clenched his fists in frustration, Edward turned around and gently tapped his fist. He had to calm down; an outburst here would accomplish nothing. He told himself that what he needed now was information.
“Are you all right with this? It will leave a great deal of resentment in future trade, you know?”
Touo’s question was not directed at the administrator, who was trying to push the matter forward under the guise of authority, but at the people from the Commercial Guild. Many of the people summoned here made their living from the pearl industry, and they included people from the capital as well as from Suien.
“...We would not be grateful to have resentment left behind. But if we cannot trade this year, it will be a huge loss. You are not unaware of our country’s import situation, are you?”
Averting his gaze from Touo who had questioned him, the man who seemed to be the center of the Commercial Guild said this and looked around at his companions.
“Our country, with its mountainous terrain and few plains, mainly imports wheat with the foreign currency earned from pearls. Although not a staple food, our wheat self-sufficiency rate is less than half. We also rely heavily on imports for industrial iron ore.”
“That is a pretext. Wheat is certainly necessary, but the import of iron ore can be reduced. There should be no extreme demand for it at present.”
An extreme demand for iron ore indicated war. Iron was indispensable for ship fittings, weapons, and armor. Touo emphasized this point.
“Neither the wheat nor the iron ore stockpiles will be completely depleted, will they? If you rush and leave resentment behind, the pearl industry will decline in the long run. Can you not bring yourselves to reconsider and negotiate with the Soukai Clan once more?”
It’s a sound argument, Franz thought. But he had a preconceived notion that sound arguments didn’t work on merchants. Because before the national interest, there were their own livelihoods.
“So, Commander, are you telling us to wither away?!”
As expected, they became enraged. Even Franz could understand that their own livelihoods were more important than the national interest or the country’s import situation. They probably had families and employees to support. But if that was the case, they should just say so from the beginning. He didn’t think they needed to bring up the nation’s affairs.
“If you please?”
Suddenly, Edward stood up.
“What is it?”
The administrator responded, his eyebrows twitching slightly.
“While I cannot support individual livelihoods, if it is a matter of wheat imports, our country will do something about it.”
“...What do you mean?”
“The majority of imported wheat circulating in Tarnien is produced in our Yuresla Kingdom, so I am offering to provide assistance with the wheat.”
The place buzzed. Assisting with wheat would certainly be a great help. But Franz became worried that if they assisted with half of a country’s wheat needs, the treasury of the Yuresla Kingdom would be in trouble. Touo also looked at him with an anxious expression, perhaps feeling guilty for getting him involved.
“Naturally, I do not say it will be free of charge. The cost of the wheat was previously paid at the time of purchase, but how about we make this an interest-free loan?”
“Interest-free?”
In place of the sour-faced administrator, the people of the Commercial Guild began to murmur among themselves.
“You will repay it after you have made a profit from the distribution of the wheat. Naturally, if the pearl trade resumes quickly, you may repay it at that point.”
“...Can… the Kingdom side really set up that framework so quickly?”
Though anxious, the merchant side, which did not want to leave resentment in the pearl trade, looked at Edward with a pleading expression. Edward smiled confidently and declared.
“Of course. If you agree to this contract, I will immediately send a personal letter to our office in the capital.”
After exchanging glances, the members of the Commercial Guild stood up.
“We would like some time to consult in a separate room.”
At the positive response, Touo’s lips curved into a faint smile.
“Understood. Please guide them to the small conference room.”
Conversely, the administrator’s face was contorted. He must be frustrated that things didn’t go as he had planned. As they left, the administrator snapped at Edward.
“I must ask you not to interfere in our country’s affairs.”
“Why is that? I acted out of consideration that if you engaged in blackmail diplomacy with a special autonomous region and a civil war broke out, your country would suffer damage, but you seem to have some dissatisfaction, Administrator.”
“Such matters are for our country to decide, and we see no reason for another country to interfere.”
With that, the administrators also stood up.
“We will take a short break until the Commercial Guild returns.”
After watching the men storm out of the room, Touo ordered his own subordinates to take a break as soon as the door closed. Touo’s subordinates also left the room. All that remained were Touo and Franz’s group.
“I am sorry for interfering.”
Touo gave a wry smile at Edward’s considerate words.
“Not at all. With this, we should be able to persuade the Commercial Guild. They are merchants, so they can properly calculate profit and loss. They will not try to force through an unreasonable trade now.”
“That would be good, but those administrators still seem to have something up their sleeves.”
“Those guys from the capital probably want to handle the pearls more freely.”
His tone was bitter. Franz didn't understand what he was trying to say, but Edward seemed to, and he nodded deeply.
“They intend to use this opportunity to put the pearls under state control.”
“Exactly.”
“It is said that the Special Autonomous Region Law is sometimes broken, but it is also said that those nations perish. Knowing this, human greed is truly endless.”
“Indeed.”
At the two men's enlightened words, Anna interjected.
“What does that mean? I don’t understand at all.”
Franz, who wanted to ask but couldn't bring himself to do so, silently looked at Edward, inwardly grateful to Anna. Then Edward explained, laughing in his usual roundabout way.
“There are many pearls here, and they generate enormous profits in trade.”
“Yes.”
“But there is a major power protecting the pearls, and without their cooperation, the pearls cannot be obtained. However, they are difficult to deal with, and sometimes the flow of trade is interrupted.”
“That’s the situation right now, isn’t it?”
“Exactly. And they have as much power as a major force. So, in order to obtain everything and make a profit, what should be done?”
Edward's words made everything clear. There was only one answer. Wipe out the major power protecting the pearls… or invade and enslave them to harvest the pearls. And this very situation was a golden opportunity to blame the Soukai Clan under a pretext.
After confirming Franz’s pale face, Edward asked Anna, the questioner.
“What would you do, Anna?”
“Um…”
After thinking for a moment, Anna looked up.
“I… don’t think I’d want them…”
“Huh?”
Franz couldn’t help but let out a cry at the unexpected answer.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“If there’s something that creates huge profits, two factions will end up fighting over it, right? So if the pearls themselves didn’t exist, there wouldn’t be a fight. In that case, I’d rather not have something that creates huge profits.”
“Even if it’s necessary for trade?”
Unable to break free from a merchant’s mindset, Franz asked again for confirmation.
“Yeah. Because if it didn’t exist, there would have been some other kind of trade, right? If the pearls are the reason for the conflict, it’s better to start from a point where they don’t exist.”
Anna stated this firmly, and Franz fell silent. It was true that if there were no pearls, it wouldn’t have become an economic issue of national importance from the start. Besides, this country had various other trade goods, so if there were no pearls, they could have developed those and used them for international trade.
But…
“That’s an ideal. The pearls already exist.”
“Hmm.”
Anna fell silent again.
“Then there’s no choice but to talk it out. Even if they’re humans and Soukai Clan, there’s no doubt that they’re both people, so I don’t think one is better or one is worse.”
For a moment, Luan’s face flashed in his mind. Luan was an ordinary person, a skilled cook, and not someone who should be locked up just because he was of the Soukai Clan. But the incident had happened. As Franz sank into thought, Anna’s ideal, which he would likely never be able to articulate, passed over him.
“The reason the Soukai Clan closed off trade when they came here was because they heard a calamity was coming, right? So instead of the merchants and soldiers getting angry and saying ‘What’s that all about!’, they should have said, ‘Then we’ll protect you. It’ll be okay,’ I’m sure.”
“...It is because we were not trusted that much by the Soukai Clan.”
Touo said with a wry smile.
“The beginning of the pearl trade always started with an argument between the Commercial Guild and the Soukai Clan. Thinking back now, perhaps those accumulated feelings created a rift between us humans and the Soukai Clan.”
In the dead silence, Anna tilted her head.
“Huh? Ed-san, what was the real answer again?”
She must have remembered that she had been asked what she thought the military was thinking. While smiling gently, Edward’s lips tightened.
“They, Anna, are trying to take advantage of this chaos to obtain all the trading rights for the pearls.”
“Eh…”
“In other words, they intend to suppress the Soukai Clan through war.”
“No…”
Finally faced with that fact, Anna turned pale.
“Taking a hostage was probably to conduct final negotiations. If those negotiations go well, a war can be avoided. But the fact that they took a hostage means the military has already decided on war, reducing the room for a successful negotiation.”
“So if we release the hostages and talk properly, we can avoid it, right?”
“That’s right. That’s why we must make them, the administration, reconsider at this meeting.”
Anna nodded with a tense expression. Franz could only nod slightly at this heavy situation. Everything would be decided by these negotiations. In the room, which was once again dominated by a heavy silence, Edward called out to Anna. Anna looked up silently.
“A small crack, if traced over and over again, becomes a great chasm. And that becomes irreversible.”
“Yes.”
“How about you? Are you not tracing a small crack over and over again?”
“...Eh…?”
Anna’s eyes widened as if caught off guard.
“A conflict between a nation and a people is, at its core, a conflict between people. You must not forget that foundation.”
“...Ah…”
Apparently realizing what was being said to her, Anna looked up.
“Um, Ed-san, are you talking about me?”
But Edward didn't answer directly and smiled.
“Though it will certainly not develop into an international problem.”
Anna looked down and remained silent for a while. Looking at her profile, an idea came to him. Revealing this much might not be betraying a friend.
“Ritz was planning to quit being a mercenary.”
“Eh?”
Anna looked up at Franz’s sudden statement.
“The same Ritz who publicly declared that being a mercenary was all he could do.”
“No way…”
“He said he was looking for a job so the two of you could live together. At least before Tashkur, Ritz intended to be with you forever.”
After saying only that, Franz fell silent again. He couldn’t say any more. But it seemed that was enough for Anna. After a while, she looked up and smiled.
“I’ll try talking to him again. After this meeting is safely over, that is.”
“That would be best.”
Edward nodded, gently patting Anna’s shoulder.
At the start of the resumed meeting, the Commercial Guild declared that they would accept Edward’s proposal. This meant that the Soukai Clan hostages would be released, and Tarnien had agreed to accept assistance limited to food from Yuresla.
Just as the flow of conversation completely shifted toward a peaceful discussion with the Soukai Clan and they were about to decide to enter into working-level協議 to finalize the draft, the man from the administration slammed his desk and stood up.
“...For how long must we curry favor with the Soukai Clan to be granted pearls?”
“What…?”
“This is Tarnien. The Soukai Clan’s settlement is nothing more than a part of our country’s territory.”
“What are you saying, Administrator!”
Touo also stood up and confronted the administrator head-on.
“You heard! The direction has been decided. It is not for you to raise objections now!”
“It’s too lenient! For the sake of the national interest, why not obtain the pearl fishing grounds even if it means some sacrifice! Is now not the time!”
“Stop it!”
Touo’s fist exploded on the administrator’s face. The administrator, though he collided violently with his chair with a loud crash, managed to stay on his feet.
“Administrator, think carefully about what you are saying! Are you planning to start a war?!”
As Touo stood there like a defiant king, his fists trembling, everyone silently watched the unfolding situation. The word ‘war’ hung heavily over them all. If that happened, what would become of this city? Thinking of that, no one could easily open their mouths. Then, a low laugh was heard. The owner of the voice slowly stood up, rubbing his bruised face.
“What’s so funny?”
“It’s funny because it’s all too late.”
“What did you say?!”
“I have released one of the hostages with a letter stating that we have taken hostages in the name of the Tarnien Army and that we will kill the hostages if they do not comply with our negotiations.”
“Wh…”
As Touo stood there, speechless, the administrator laughed triumphantly.
“These negotiations will fail. Without a doubt! Our army will immediately take up battle formation and head for the Trading Island. Excluding the Suien unit, of course.”
“You bastard!”
“The Suien Commander is a petty thing. We are the central army; we do not take orders from the likes of you!”
The administrator turned on his heel. His subordinates followed suit.
“Departure is early tomorrow morning. If you wish to follow, you are welcome to. That includes your Yuresla special envoy as well. Then you can realize there is nothing you can do and just suck your thumbs!”
As the door was violently shut, the merchants rushed to it. They understood that if the national army was victorious, they would gain the rights. But if they lost, Suien would be destroyed. They probably understood that as well. The Soukai Clan were all water spirit users.
The abandoned Suien unit and Franz’s group were at a loss.
“Early tomorrow morning… we shall also go to the site. What will you do?”
“...We shall accompany you.”
“Then please come here at dawn tomorrow.”
“Understood.”
In the heavy atmosphere, Anna sighed.
“So this is what it means for a crack to become a chasm…”
A war was about to break out before their very eyes. But neither the Commercial Guild nor the administration showed any concern for the Soukai Clan. Witnessing for the first time the deep-seated discrimination in this city and the difference between humans and demi-humans, Franz’s mood sank heavily.
Back when he rejected all contact with others, the world was a simple thing for Franz. There was himself, and everyone else.
But now that he had come out into the world, he was made aware of the various categories that existed. Starting with family, clan, race, and ethnicity, all the way to occupation. The more he thought about it, the more complex the world became. As he was thinking, Franz looked up at Anna’s mutter.
“I hate that it’s becoming irreversible…”
Anna, who had said that while looking down, remained silent for a while before looking up at Edward.
“About tomorrow morning, please let me be the one to tell Ritz.”
“...I do not mind, but?”
“Thank you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Because I don’t want to see any more irreversible chasms in this city.”
Showing a weak smile uncharacteristic of her, Anna stood up from her seat.